Unexpected
by Sapphire3568
Summary: Rose Weasley loves to write. Does it every day, quotes from some famous ones, even tries to get other people to do it with her. When a mysterious note shows up in her secret writing place, she thinks she has found a new friend. will she find out who he is
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Come along, quickly please, we don't want to be late!"Hermione ordered, flapping her hands in excitement as she ushered Rose and Hugo towards the Hogwarts express.

"Really, you'd think it was their first day!"Ron said fondly, gently taking one of her twitching hands in his own.

Rose and Hugo rolled their eyes simultaneously. Their mum had always been like this, not wanting to accept the fact that they were starting their sixth year-two years to go until they graduated from Hogwarts. Rose felt a tidal wave of excitement very much like her mum's surf through her stomach. Or maybe it was the many dishes she had eaten at grandma's burrow. Rose followed Hugo into the train, slowly dragging her heavily stacked suitcases behind her with one arm. In the other arm she held a caramel colored, petite owl named Flyaway. As she entered the train, she was gob smacked at the amount of empty compartments-they were _very_ early. Hugo went off to look for his friends, leaving her alone. She sat down in one, and was followed by Albus-surprisingly being trailed by a girl. Rose stifled a snort. Albus was not one to flirt-she must be special. The copper haired girl tentatively kissed his cheek, and gave him a little wave before backing out of the compartment to join her laughing friends.

Rose cracked open a book,(muggle treasures) and pursed her lips. "and may I ask who ever was that?"

"She's my girlfriend, Ella. She's a-"Albus started.

"Hufflepuff hottie? Gryffindor girlie? Regal Ravenclaw? Slytherin sweetie?" Rose and Albus looked up to find Dominique, Roxanne, and Lily staring down at them in interest.

Rose laughed. "Dominique, those are the worst house names I've ever heard!"she giggled.

Their compartment was now full. Roxanne stared at Rose's prefect badge.

"I knew you'd get it!" Roxanne smiled and patted Rose's shoulder.

Suddenly, a prick of understanding touched Rose's skull.

"NO! oh no-I'm late!" she yelled over her shoulder as she tore down the hall. "prefect meeting!"

She halted suddenly, slapping her wrists for a watch. Her hands dug through her open bag, and she collapsed against the wall in relief. It didn't start for another eight minutes. Powered by realization, she dove into her bag again. _Where were they? She was sure they were here somewhere. Maybe she had dropped them. But those were her favorite books! She had been soo foolish to put a non-accio charm on them-so no-one else could summon them by magic. What would she do? It was her own tradition that she had made up, to quiz herself on the two books(100 chess, and muggle treasures)and now she had lost them! What ever would she do? If only-_

"-and you seem to have-" Scorpious Malfoy stood before her with her two books clutched in his hands.

"Excuse me, but I didn't quite catch that.." rose started.

Scorpious smirked. "You seem to have dropped some of your precious chattels In your great escapade to the meeting room. So sorry to burst your bubble, but it starts in seven minutes." He handed the books to her.

"Well, consider my bubble not burst. Thank you, by the way." Rose smiled, her large brown eyes making contact with his gray ones. She stopped abruptly, sending a look of confusion between the two of them, but more on Rose's face. _Why was she being so nice? Why did she smile? He's a Malfoy, for goodness sake!_

He did not return the short smile. "Prefect duties." He stated simply, and marched purposefully into the prefects compartment.

Rose sighed, and followed him, a trickle of prefects already heading in.

To her dismay, the only empty seat was next to Asheline Darfsthow, a cocky Slytherin girl prefect. She was everything you could expect from someone so popular-pretty, skinny, but what not everyone mentioned was-she was mean. Cold, hard, like stone. Downright evil. And who was her main target? Rose weasley.

Asheline started to apply huge amounts of lip gloss, with the aid of a handheld mirror. She flipped her straight blonde hair over a shoulder and turned to a slightly disgusted Rose.

"Heeey, Rose..would you like, like me to give you a makeover?" Asheline dragged out the vowels in her words slowly.

Rose's face was frozen, and she glared at her, slowly shaking her head from side to side in a definite NO. She almost hated her. And that was saying a lot. Because to Rose Weasley, hate is a _very_ strong word. She almost hated Asheline Darfsthow. She loathed makeovers. She knew what was coming next, and she detested every word of it.

"Ohhhh…well- _that's_ too bad, because I really think you neeeeded it…" Asheline's words slithered across the room in a sickly sweet way. Every single prefect eye was on the pair of them-some laughing, some curious, mostly interested and intrigued by Asheline's performance. Rose reminded herself to let Hugo prank the watchers as much as he liked.

Asheline leaned in closer, her glossy lips forming a pitiful O. "You see…..noo uh-fence…darling Rosie, but why are you a prefect? Prefects are supposed to be pretty, skinny, and popular. You, unfortunately, do not own any of those gifts, unlike _moi._" She pretended to whisper, but stated it loud and clear.

Rose's stomach churned with worry. She couldn't agree more with the first two insults, but she was afraid Asheline was also correct on the third offense. She had no other friends other than her relatives and family….She was so caught up in her own whirlpool of thoughts that she didn't even notice what Asheline was doing. As Rose stared aimlessly at her own long hands, Asheline's were handling a fancy scripted, uncapped perfume bottle that drifted closer and closer to Rose's ducked head. The opening of the bottle tipped more and more downward until a couple of artificial-bubblegum scented drops splashed onto Rose's now facing upward face. Droplets of scented water dripped past her nose, landing in her eyes, and causing a very disgruntled Rose to splutter and cough. Before any more shenanigans could be done, a pale hand snatched the perfume bottle out of Asheline's grip.

"Prefect duties." Scorpious explained vaguely, and tossed a handkerchief promptly towards Rose before tossing the half empty bottle into the trash as he made his way back to his seat. His actions awakened the spluttering Rose._ Had he been watching? Well, of course-every boy stares dumbly at Asheline. Nothing new._

But as the head girl stepped in and Scorpious' eyes were still fixated on her, she felt that it _was_ something new. Rose felt her cheeks go red, and she looked away as he arched a pale eyebrow. _What was happening to her? Never mind that, she needed to focus on what the Head Girl was saying._

"Today you are gathered to discuss what you shall do as a prefect." The head girl announced. "well, let me tell you now : As a prefect, it is your _duty_ to subtract points only _as needed._ Disobey this and you will find yourself in a terrible, terrible situation." She cleared her throat. "Also, as a prefect, you will kindly _patrol_ the halls of Hogwarts, catching any trouble makers, as we clearly do _not _want any whimsical pranks pulled this year, am I correct?" the head girl urged us to speak.

"Ye-es." We all mumbled quietly.

"Very well. I will assign partners:" she began to read off pairs, and Rose's mind drifted off to a different world, pretending to play chess in her mind.

"Rose Weasley, Asheline Darfsthow." The Head girl yelped, and squinted at the paper. "Oh, dear-I'm afraid we may have to add another prefect to that group- one prefect dropped out of Hogwarts at the last minute!" she exclaimed wildly, not sure of what to do. "Scorpious Malfoy, Asheline Darfsthow, and Rose Weasley, for Friday." She declared finally. "We have another meeting on Thursday- don't be late!"

Rose felt like a fish gasping for water as she tested her ear. Did she hear the head girl correctly? She hoped not.

"See ya on Friday, Rooster!" Asheline whispered in her ear, and Rose nearly jumped in fright. _It cant be possible! Why? She would take anyone else, _anyone_! Oh, and Scorpious Malfoy too….!_

"I'll just have to wait to see how this turns out." She said grimly as she stepped off the Hogwarts express. "But I have a feeling it's not going to be pretty." She muttered under her breath.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

It was a perfectly fine day-not much homework, happiness in the schedule arrangements-but the one thing that lacked jubilance in that day-was Rose's stormy mood.

"Rose! Hey Rose! Roh-ose! ROSE WEASLEY!"

Rose turned to find a slightly disheveled Albus Potter halt at his heels, panting slightly.

"Rose, this whole day I've been trying to get your attention, and I know something's wrong. What is it?" Albus looked questioningly at her dark features, and turned a firm glare back.

Rose sighed, tugging at her cap. She normally didn't wear one, but today was not a normal day. The soft black, checkered fabric slipped through her fingers as Albus motioned her towards a corner, looking at her expectantly.

"I had some hair issues. That's all." She said quickly, as Albus snorted disbelievingly.

"Ok…if that's what you say…" Albus prodded at her, then, realizing it wasn't working, gave a small huff of failure and rushed off to his next class.

Rose sighed, and tromped off to Potions. As she reached the classroom, she realized she was 5 minutes early. Starting to busy herself unpacking her materials and organizing them, she didn't notice someone else coming in.

"Early again?" an amused voice floated towards Rose and she looked up to see a smirking Slytherin standing beside her. Her heart pounded for one weird reason, and she mentally willed it to stop-it didn't.

"Yes. Nothing bad about getting a head start." She retorted, and dropped down into her seat, eliciting a muffled thunk from beneath her bottom.

He turned and headed towards his seat, but not before muttering something barely audible to himself. "Not like you need one." She could of sworn he smiled slightly. She shook her head. She was probably imagining it. _Malfoys are not nice people. One couldn't have ever smiled at her, let alone complimented her! Her father believed that, so why shouldn't she?_

Students quickly filed in as the bell rang loudly, leaving Rose sitting next to Lily. She let out a whoosh of relief, but then quickly turned it into a cough.

"Who would like to tell me what these potions are?" Professor Slughorn asked the class.

Rose felt a thrill run up her spine, and forced her hand to rise up slowly, trying to look inconspicuous. It didn't work. Professor Slughorn looked relieved to see her fiery red head, and immediately called on her.

"Rose?"

"Well, that one's the Velsrink potion- it's a very powerful shrinking potion that shrinks you to half your normal size for a full six hours…" Rose trailed off, staring at the other. "And that potion is Amortentia, the most powerful love potion in the world-very dangerous." Rose's voice became soft at the end. She sat down abruptly.

"Thank you, Ms. Weasley. Now, I will sort you into partners, and you will proceed to brew one of the two potions-you choose." He cleared his throat. "Lily Potter and Asheline Darfsthow, Melina Smith and Andrew Wallington, Scorpious Malfoy and Rose Weasley,…" Professor Slughorn continued to pair off people.

Shock enveloped, or rather shot, her in the heart. _ Malfoy? Scorpious?...Scorpious Malfoy?_ Her head was spinning, and she couldn't move. What would she do? Rose decided to keep quiet. After all, this isn't some socializing talk session.

An electric thrill ran through her shoulder as a finger tapped it. Rose turned to find a pale haired boy standing in front of my desk.

"Excuse me-we're supposed to be partners….And I'd rather do Amortentia, if you'd like. Much more of a challenge to brew, especially due to the fact that we have to stir in limp, salted tulip roots for ten and a quarter rounds before adding in the other ingredients…" he trailed off, his deep gray eyes leaving her in a trance.

"Yeah, I suppose." Rose answered back nonchalantly, and started to chop up the tulip roots. _What was wrong with her?_

At the end, their potion was exactly like as described in the textbook- soft blue with tinges of purple.

Rose absentmindedly tipped her head over the cooling potion in the cauldron to inspect its' color once again. Her nose caught a whiff of something, and she froze. It smelled like new houses, Grandma's homemade pumpkin pie, and…..something else only described as fresh picked oranges with a hint of lime and mint. Rose shook her mahogany colored , frizzy hair as she tried to pull back a memory. She recognized the last scent…it was almost like she had smelled it before- but she couldn't quite remember when or on what. She turned her head away quickly, and found Scorpious sniffing the potion too, with a dumbstruck look on his face. Rose snorted and started to pack up. He was probably witnessing the smell of "Kissers Kandy", the signature perfume of Darfsthow. It was artificial, like plastic fruit. Asheline thought it smelt like a "first kiss". Rose gagged in her head. She thought it smelled like cow pie covered in artificial bubble gum.

As Rose made a move to get up, someone toppled her books to the floor right after she had just finished shoving them all into her satchel. _Probably with magic._ Rose didn't know what to think- so she simply shrugged it off. Leave Asheline with the guilt-leave her guilty and feeling like trash. Feeling like how she treated Rose every day. Let her stay and wallow in her malicious thoughts. _It wouldn't affect me, Rose thought-I think._ Just as another lightning bolt was beginning to crack, Rose threw her books into her bag and pounded down the corridor to her next class. Why couldn't Asheline just leave her alone? There was only one thing Rose could have done to her- and that was years ago! She had apologized, really, and she didn't get what was so bad about it! Rose's mind floated back to her first train ride to Hogwarts.

_Her mum was crying, Rose was smiling- it was going to be the best day ever. Or so she thought. She had gotten into a compartment with Hugo and her cousins, and they were all chatting about what they thought Hogwarts was going to be like. Suddenly, the door to their compartment swished open and they all stared at who had opened it so suddenly, without saying a word. Thin, tall, and pale, with a very curved nose and petite pink lips. Her cobalt blue eyes swept the compartment, full of coldness, and she sat down without invitation. She rummaged around in her purse, sweeping blush across her cheeks and painting her lips with gloss. Everyone continued to stare at her, until Dominique broke the awkward silence. _

"_Who the heck are you?" Dominique questioned rudely, but it was highly necessary. _

_The pretty, intimidating girl looked up from her purse and looked at her with annoyance. "You don't know? Wow- who wouldn't?" she commented nastily. A hand went up from everyone in the compartment, not including her._

_She looked amused, and chuckled. It wasn't a chuckle really, but a short, cold, high pitched barking session. "I am Asheline Darfsthow, the most beautiful girl in the world." She stated. Everyone looked at her like she was joking-her face showed that she was not. _

_Dominique chuckled. "Says your mom."_

_Everyone started hooting at that, and so did Rose. Asheline looked ready to murder. She clenched her fist around a perfume bottle labeled "Kissers Kandy", and started to spray the vile liquid around in the air. Everyone started to cough, and Asheline looked highly offended._

"_What _is _ that?" Albus coughed once again, and tried to refrain from pinching his nostrils shut._

_Asheline smirked. "It's a perfume- I think it smells like someone perfect- like moi!" she squealed, and giggled again. Her giggle was cold, fake, and hard. Not like the warm, soft, and real ones Roxanne let out._

"_I think it smells like the excretion of a bubble gum cow." Rose muttered to herself. She looked up, surprised that everyone was looking at her, and joined in to the newfound laughter. She was the only one that noticed when Asheline got up, glared at her, and walked away. But not before whispering something in her ear. _

"_You wait, Rooster. I'm gonna get you so good you won't know what hit you." She hissed into Rose's ear, and Rose turned red in anger._

"_You do that!" she called after her, and fumed for five whole minutes before calming down._

Rose sighed, now back to the present mind. It turns out Asheline was right- well, at least for now.


	3. Chapter 3

Most characters do not belong to me, but to J.K Rowling. The plot does, however.

Chapter 3

"AL! Albus Severus Potter! Did you hear me?"Rose practically screamed in her cousin's ear. Just the other day it had been the other way around.

Albus' drooping eyes opened fully, and he yawned, awakened from his open-eyed sleep.

"Uhm…what?" he groaned lazily as Rose looked ready to murder. Rose rolled her eyes and shoved a book in front of his face. (Pride and Prejudice)

"Do you have any idea what this quote means?" Rose sighed, and dropped back into the couch. "You are so going to fail this-no offense."

Albus looked scared. "You're still going to help me….right?" he asked tentatively.

Rose rolled her eyes. " 'Course I am, Sleeping Beauty. Now-" she thrust the book into his hands and practically forced his hands to flip to a specific page. "Read up!"

As Albus continued to flip the pages absentmindedly, Rose sighed once again. No one really got her way of thinking about literature. No one understood her respect for the fine art of poetry. And most of all-most of her cousins depended on her to look over their essays and paper works. Not that she disliked it-she thought that they would like to experience the fun of it. Yes, Rose weasley actually enjoyed doing homework.

Rose stepped out of the common room to get some fresh air, and was instantly reminded of her patrol duties. _How could she have forgotten?_ She tore down the hall to the place she was supposed to be meeting Darfsthow and Malfoy. Rose lifted her wrist, and stared at her pale green watch. The slim, silver hands smoothly moved in a cirle, and Rose felt the seconds tick by. Why weren't they already here? They were over ten minutes late. Just as she was about to go to their Slytherin common room, a loud noise erupted not to far behind her.

Rose marched to where the sound was, and she turned red immediately, focusing on the wall next to the trouble. Darfsthow was positioned on top of Malfoy, who looked extremely uncomfortable. When he spotted Rose a look passed through his eyes- annoyance? Confusion? Relief? Darfsthow, oblivious to Rose's presence, continued to make eyes at Malfoy, while he inched away from her manicured fingernails.

Rose cleared her throat. "The time for doing this is on your own free periods-not while others are waiting to patrol the halls of Hogwarts."

Darfsthow's head snapped up, and she tried her best to inch closer to Malfoy and pull him up. He pulled away gently and stood up by himself, with no trace of redness on his ghostly cheeks.

As they patrolled down the corridors, Rose couldn't help but notice that Darfsthow was slowly moving closer to Malfoy. He, apparently, didn't notice and continued to look straight ahead and march silently.

Rose rolled her eyes as Darfsthow suddenly knocked her hip against Malfoy's waist and tugged his arm to the small of her back. Malfoy immediately recoiled, placing his hand to his side, where it twitched whenever Darfsthow made to grab for it.

Rose, chuckled, and realized her mistake a second too late.

"Care to explain what ever amuses you?" Darfsthow stopped walking, and glared at Rose, striking a pose with her hand on her hip. Malfoy looked as amused as Rose felt, and smirked slightly.

Rose stifled a laugh. "your endless attempts to flirt with a man." She retorted.

Darfsthow stepped closer to Rose, with a slightly crazy, angry look on her perfect features, and pushed her back. Since Rose didn't expect the push, she veered off slightly and crashed into Scorpious, bringing him down on top of her. Her hands were shoved against his chest and she couldn't help but notice that it was like crashing down on rock.

She stared for a moment. _Were his eyes always that silver?_ She couldn't help but catch a whiff of his scent as she slowly got back up. Fresh picked oranges with a hint of lime and mint….the handkerchief! How could she have forgotten? And the handkerchief belonged to…

Rose shook that thought out of her head as they continued to walk down the hall. Darfsthow was positioned in the middle, occasionally, elbowing Rose or making eyes at Malfoy, who clearly did not notice or did not show it. The tension was slowly suffocating Rose, and she could tell that Darfsthow had the similar thoughts about her. Her thoughts veered towards Scor- Malfoy. She remembered when they had met- on the Hogwarts Express. He had constantly been knocking into her, pushing her frame or accidentally-on purpose- shoving her aside. He was so conceited back in those four years….. but something changed about him in the fifth year and now, in sixth year. It was awkward-she kind of missed the rows and fights she fought with him. It had been a regular game- no one else had been able to keep up with her, or understand the "complicated phrases" she was stating, quote from Albus. Oh, how she wished she could find a friend-or _someone_ that she could confide in. She was sick and tired of being the "second Hermione Granger." Rose rarely cried-not when James and Fred decided to blow up her bed when she was outside the door, not when Malfoy had charmed her red hair to look like a rainbow afro, not even when he had transfigured her wardrobe into one of a clowns. She had to go down to breakfast in one of those frilly, flowered suits- none of her relative's clothes fit her, being to wide, short, long, skinny, or tight. Rose almost always kept her feelings inside, pushed up against a wall of protectiveness that she had never opened to anyone. It seemed as though _no one _ understood her- because no one truly did. She felt like a human slowly suffocating, cutting herself off from air-not that there was any. She wasn't saying that all of her classmates were dumb or stupid, she just felt they didn't _know _ the true meaning of literature and how to appreciate it and…_oh merlin, I sound like a total wacko. _Unfortunately enough, the only one who had matched their grades in class with hers was the one person Rose wished not to be…..Scorpius Malfoy. Why did it have to be _ him_, of all people? Rose knew she wasn't being fair, considering he _had_ taken the perfume away from Darfsthow and given her his handkerchief…

Rose's eyes drifted over to the other two prefects, one staring solemnly ahead, the other trying to flirt with him, twirling a piece of her hair around her finger and casually puffing her chest out. Rose almost puked right then and there when Darfsthow hitched her skirt _ even_ higher-it had already been around six inches up her thighs, and now it veered dangerously close to a whole foot. Malfoy looked away politely, and Darfsthow pouted, disappointed in her failed mission. Luckily we were done with the patrol….Darfsthow had been leaning closer to an uncomfortable Malfoy, batting her mascara- submerged eyelashes and giggling flirtatiously at the top of her tight lungs. Anyone could tell Malfoy didn't fancy her, I just didn't get how Darfsthow didn't take the obvious hint. Maybe she did, she just didn't want to back down….what a determined rat.

Scorpius ducked just in time as her arm reached around, probably to tug his earlobe and coo weird lovey dovey stuff into his ear drum. Hah- take _that_, Scorpius Malfoy. For unknowingly flirting with _everyone, _ and succeeding. Wait-that sounded wrong. I don't mean _everyone…_

"Bye, Scorpy! You know I'll miss you- because you'll miss me!" Darfsthow squealed, jumping up to reveal an embarrassing view of her underpants. Most guys would look at that. But Malfoy's eyes stayed on her face, almost seething with annoyance. _ Or so I hope._

He takes a step towards her, and opens his mouth, taking a deep breath as if he wants to start lecturing. Trust me, I've seen this look before-right after Lissa Jonies tried to feed him breakfast. _Honestly, they weren't even dating! But why do I CARE? I don't. I don't I don't I don't I don't I don't I don't I don't I don't I don't I don't I don't I don't I don't I don't I don't I don't I don't I don't I don't I DON'T I DON'T I DO! Wait, what?_

I shake that an absurd though out of my head, just as Malfoy finishes off his lecture, face tomato red and breathless from either rage or not stopping to breathe throughout his whole three minute speech.

"Bye, Rose,... Asheline." Scorpius finished, taking one last look at Rose before marching down to his Slytherin dorm. Rose felt a jolt of…excitement? Ecstasy? Jubilance? Longing? She hoped it was none of those. She definitely, times one trillion, did _not _ fancy Scorpius Malfoy. She wasn't one of those starry eyed Scorpius lovers that practically swooned when he came by. Though she did have to admit that he had changed immensely from his past years. Now he seemed more…mature, more knowing, she supposed. Or maybe…or maybe this was actually him. Maybe he actually put on a show for others, acting like a confident, cool Slytherin that was ready to ace Potions tests (which he _did_) and snog two girls at once…..maybe he was a good person, inside, just hadn't let it out fully yet. _ Wait, what? Again? What was with her! Did someone slip something in her pumpkin juice….she couldn't think straight! Or maybe she could, just didn't because of _ someone_ on her mind today….SHUT UP, ROSE. YOU ARE NOT THINKING ABOUT THAT. NOT AT A TIME LIKE THIS._

Rose sighed, and trudged to her Gryffindor dorms, where she plopped onto bed. She sat up almost immediately, hearing a pecking noise coming from the window. As quick as can be, before others came back to sleep, she pushed the window open, snatched whatever was tapping it, and closed it again, bringing the struggling creature up to her eyes. She almost gasped in surprise. It was an owl…a black one, with golden feathers scattered along his chest and beautiful silver flecks in its round, gray eyes…..she stared deeper into them, reminding her of someone else's eyes. The owl hooted, and Rose gently set it on her bed, carefully unwrapping the letter from the owls outstretched leg. What was this….and who would send a letter at this time of the night? Many were asleep anyway…


	4. Chapter 4

**Most characters and places in this story belong to J.K Rowling. **

Chapter 4

Rose stared in utter shock and surprise at the slip of paper in front of her. She read it, then reread it again, then reread it over for the fifth time already. It was like what she had wished for had come true, in a small, unnoticeable way…..to others, probably. But to her…it was like the best thing that had ever happened…..almost. Nothing could beat the time when Hugo was born…..

_Rose Weasley,_

"_If you are good, life is good."-Roald Dahl, Matilda._

_Rose, I know perfectly well that this sounds odd, but..I have a question I have been longing to ask you ever since you nearly tipped into your pot of Amortentia. You see, I am doing a survey for muggle studies, and my chosen topic is "What is the most common smell in Amortentia?", and I was very intrigued when I saw you brew the potion. Many others couldn't even recognize the rare ingredients, let alone brew a proper potion with the qualities of Amortentia. Then again, you always were a bright student. Like Roald Dahl said, "If you are good, life is good."_

_Sincerely,_

_Backwards A,N._

Rose stared at the letter. What ever did the writer mean? Backwards…A, N? She had never heard of such a pen name before…maybe they were initials? Whoever this was, she most certainly did _not_ want others in Muggle Studies to find out what attracted her. She meant-who even _chose_ these kind of topics, anyway? The most popular would be animals and food…but this..this was _very_ odd, like the sender had confessed. Maybe the writer was just interested in potions, and wanted to mix Muggle Studies with it? Was that even allowed in _muggle_ studies? She hoped not. But Rose was still intrigued by the use of quotes and the compliment before it…..she had never felt so appreciated. Really, it sounded cheesy when she thought of it, corny too, but she never really had a friend besides her relatives.

Rose turned to find the owl waiting, its wide, silver eyes staring up at her in a look she could not describe on an animal. It was almost…..human. NO, rose, its an animal. A very beautiful one, at the most. _ Should she write the writer back? _ Would _ she write the writer back? Was this a prank? Was this a joke? Was the writer a boy or a girl?_ Rose chewed on this thought for a couple of minutes. It wouldn't hurt to write back-it was just a survey, after all. No need to get excited about it-just typical Hogwarts school work. She couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement as she pulled out a sheet of parchment to reply. She would-what prefect would she be to not answer a student in need? A student who was really very flattering….She shook that awkward thought out of her head, and aimed her ink dipped quill at her blank yellow parchment.

Rose thought for a moment, and started to scratch her quill against the paper to form words that she had thought through. She would answer with a quote, just like the writer had done.

_Backwards A,N,_

"_The power of doing anything with quickness is always prized much by the possessor, and often without any attention to the imperfection of the performance." Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice._

_Not to sound like a prude, but remember what Jane Austen told us- don't rush things over, you'll have a better outcome with patience. In your situation: Don't hasten to finish your project, I'm sure many others were very capable of finishing the Amortentia potion. Anyway, about what I smell…..new houses, my grandma Molly's homemade pumpkin pie, and that's all. Nothing else, I assure you. I just wanted to ask you something that you've possibly even asked yourself: Why ever did you choose such an overwhelming and difficult topic? Don't get me wrong, I love the originality, rebellion, and challenge of a topic like yours-but- most people taking classes and doing project like yours would typically aim for an easier, more boring topic that would take less time and effort to complete. Concluding my thoughts, I hope you earn a wonderful grade on your Muggle Studies project. _

_Good luck, _

_Rose Weasley_

Rose quickly checked for any spelling errors, and, satisfied with her completion, gently tied the parchment to the owl's leg and watched as the owl looked back once, eyes connecting with Rose's brown ones, and flew off. The starry night sky reflected in her wide pupils, and her thoughts returned to Scorpius Malfoy. Scorpius Malfoy. That boy certainly was mysterious…if not too solemn, still, and grave-well, for the fifth year and this one. What ever had happened to him? Had he suffered the loss of someone near and dear to his heart? Or had he…had he.._ really changed?_

Rose felt alarmed at even suggesting such a ridiculous thing. He probably hadn't changed- in the fifth year, she had seen him play pranks on people before. But one thing that struck her odd, something that she would never admit to anyone else, not even Albus, was that- she was impressed at how good he could keep up with her and retort. She didn't like the feeling of waiting for someone else to quickly draw up a dull retort, none like the quick, witty ones Scorpius and Rose exchanged.

She fell back onto her satiny smooth bed, and opened the letter once again. She studied the graceful, thin, elegant writing, the perfect mix between cursive and regular print. She herself had handwriting very similar to this-but she had to admire the hand of the writer. He or she had certainly had practice with writing-and the art of literature.

As Rose got ready for bead and threw the covers over her body, she found she couldn't sleep. Too many thoughts were on her mind- the O.W.L's, one month away, the strange-human-like owl and its owner, her prefect duties, Darfsthow and her Malfoy issues, her weak social life, and…a pleasant scent she should _ not _ have smelt in Amortentia. It wasn't real-it was probably a malfunction or something…or was it?

Rose awoke to the sound of canary's chirping happily though her window, and she looked around, confused. She hadn't remembered falling asleep last night. She probably had gotten tired or something. Rose quickly threw on her school robes, and struggled to push her hair into a low ponytail, not bothering to look in the mirror as she stepped down past the common room into the great hall. Many other witches her age absolutely _loved_ to brush makeup on their faces, but Rose found that she rather despised it. She didn't know how it made you look any different-if not more like a raccoon, or an overdressed Barbie doll.

People had already begun to eat, and Rose sat in between Roxanne and James, feeling distracted as she looked back to the Slytherin table. Yes, the legendary Harry Potter, the boy who lived, the chosen one- had a son in the house of _Salezar Slytherin._ Yup, the same house that housed Draco, Lucius, and Narcissa Malfoy, the same house that provided sleeping quarters to pureblood Rodolphus Lestrange and Bellatrix Black, the very same house that _Voldemort _ himself pranced around in. Rose sighed, her feelings somewhere in between disbelief and pity. Sure, Albus had been _very, very, very, very, _frightened when the Sorting Hat made its decision, but he had quickly made friends with someone who just _shouldn't _have ever met her cousin. Scorpius Malfoy, in the living flesh.

Albus was smiling and chatting with Malfoy, pretending to ride a broom- probably telling his worn out quidditch stories of the time he miraculously caught the snitch 'right before that amateur smacked me'. Rose had heard them, way too much. She tried to focus on her toast, but always found her mind drifting to the other table. What was wrong with her? She wasn't the type of girl that fainted over boys and wore ridiculous, skimpy clothing to expose unnecessary skin. She wasn't the girl who smeared makeup all over her face, partying all night and being victim to hangovers by early morning. She wasn't a prude, wasn't uptight, she was just Rose. In the middle, she supposed. She wasn't dramatic…..she really wasn't sure _who_ she was. Every thing that anyone had commented nicely about her to her face was- smart. Attentive in classes….that sort of 'nerdy', 'geeky' stuff. Truth was, she wasn't a geek, or a dork, or a know it all. She just had the talent of actually paying attention in class, other than passing notes, holding hands underneath the table, or gossiping about the new issue of _Witch Weekly._ It was sickly how many girls were obsessed with this- she could only be bewildered and amazed at how much more effort they put into their looks, rather than into their studies.

Rose sighed, and shoved her books into her bag, preparing to go to class early. She couldn't eat much, anyway. She had double Defense against the Dark Arts next- and she couldn't wait to see what they would learn.

"Attention, students!" Professor Ammerby shouted over the class.

"Today we shall learn the _expelliarmus _spell- everyone, pair up!" Professor Ammerby ordered.

Rose glanced around, and was dismayed to see that Albus had already been taken by a crazy fan girl. She turned and pulled Lily out of the writhing crowd, to be her partner.

"Now, on three- one, two,-" Professor Ammerby's word's were cut off by a shriek, and a shatter.

All heads turned towards the still body on the ground, obviously stupefied and expelliarmused. Rose did not stir, nor did she open her eyes- Lily and Albus rushed towards her to drag her limp body to Madame Pomfrey. They did not know who had cast those spells, nor did they know why.

Lily gritted her teeth as she struggled to keep Rose up. "I am _so_ going to hex that blockhead who decided to do this to her- she fell pretty hard." Albus nodded vigorously, and they continued to struggle.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

It had been hours before Albus and Lily managed to drag a stunned Rose to the hospital, but it seemed like years to them.

"Tut, tut! What do we have here?" Madame Pomfrey clicked disapprovingly at them in a mother like manner.

"Lily got hit with a spell of some sort- I'm not sure exactly, but it somehow made her have an attitude." Albus replied, trying to sound casual. Lily shoved her elbow fiercely into his side, and her movement elicited an annoyed grunt.

"He meant Rose, Madame Pomfrey. It seems more powerful than a stupefy…so we came to you." Lily explained, letting go of Rose and leaving her swaying on the spot. Albus stifled a laugh as she almost fell over, and he hastily grabbed her again.

"Well then- out! Out! I need to check her up! Please leave immediately!" Madame Pomfrey pointed a quivering finger at the doorway, and they reluctantly obliged.

Her mouth formed an 'o' as she lifted the limp form onto a hospital bed, her shirt riding up to reveal an ugly wound. It was unlike any other wounds she had ever seen- a mottled _green_ oval with two angry red slashes sliced across. They were not bleeding, but rather puffing up at the edges like a newly formed, large papercut. She couldn't exactly call the…the…_spot_ a bruise, for it seemed perfectly rounded, like a green stamp pressed upon her skin. Madame Pomfrey poured a vial of clear liquid into a dropper, her eyes twitching as she glanced back. Rose looked helpless and weak….like a corpse.

After successfully removing the cuts and lowering the inky color from her stomach, Madame Pomfrey settled her in bed and waited for her mind's return. Surely it couldn't be….but Voldemort was gone….Dark Magic?

_Rose was swimming, swimming….in a lake of salty water. Liquid poured from her eyelids, but she couldn't stop, couldn't stop crying. She felt no emotion inside- like someone else was feeling pain, someone distant, but altogether near. Her mind was a whirl of sadness, confusion, and shock. Swimming, swimming, the crying was unbearable. She felt no gut-wrenching pain, no twists of hurt at the stomach, no hammering silence in her heart. She felt nothing. Like a ghost, almost. Swimming, swimming….. She didn't feel. She _couldn't _ feel. She wanted to. Wanted it so much, unlike any other thing before, that she pushed herself down. Pushed her self down, deep into the icy waters of painless hurt, but she couldn't drown. She could only swim….swimming, swimming…_

Rose frantically pushed and thrashed about, moving her arms in a rhythmic pattern before shooting up like a beanstalk. Sweat poured through her pores, and her clothes stuck to her body in sticky heaps. She could feel it pulsing, pulsing….her hand wound its way under her wet shirt and pressed the faint cut. It was like she could feel something she was not allowed to feel, think something not meant to think, and _know_ something she couldn't know. Rose slowly backed out of bed, and crept down the hall to the Slytherin dungeons, where Slughorn would be. He would surely help her, if not give her something to ease the gross pulsing. She couldn't see, her hands groping in the dark, feet moving on their own, feeling like it wasn't _ her_ who was thinking. The thought scared her immensely, and she broke into a frantic run, head tucked in to her stomach, arms moving wildly. She couldn't stop, couldn't stop…

BAM!

A white shock exploded before her eyes, and she slowly regained consciousness, feeling around for the thing she had run into. Rose stepped forwards, and noticed something odd. The floors were bumpy for some reason. As she stepped to the left, she nearly jumped out of her skin at the voice she heard.

"Weasley, what are you doing here?" Although she couldn't see, the voice sounded surprisingly familiar. The ground under her began to stir, and she leaped backwards.

"Who are you, and how did you know it was me?" she asked, faking ignorance. She heard a groan.

"I'll keep that a secret, thanks. And also- anyone would recognize your scream- we've heard it again and again when Hagrid decides to empty out his spider collection." The speakers voice commented, and she heard-him-get up, dusting robes off.

"I'm afraid I'll have to take points off, or give you a detention-I'm a prefect, you know." Rose said, careful not to boast.

"As am I. I'm afraid I could do you more harm- I being the one with the name advantage. Goodnight, Rose." He replied.

"Goodnight." She spoke quietly, before walking off in the opposite direction. _Who was that? _

Rose quietly approached the Potions dungeons, and rapped her fingers smartly on the door. She heard a creaky slam, and soon the wrinkled, plump face of her potions master popped up behind the bars.

Slughorn smiled slightly, wrinkling the corners of his old mouth. "And what troubles you now…Miss Weasley?"

Rose stepped inside the dungeon quietly. "I'm not sure how it happened- but- there's a mark that appeared on my skin…and I keep on having these dreams…dreams that I'm not supposed to have-like their someone elses. And I can't control my actions, and things are so confusing, and I really don't know what to do-so I thought you could help me and-"

She paused as Slughorn held up a wrinkled palm. "Enough, Miss Weasley. There is no potion that I can brew to fix…your problem…..but I assure you that it is probably a minor muggle disease. Tell me…do you tend to hallucinate often? Are you drinking enough water? Do you drink alcoholic beverages? Have you ever been through a traumatizing experience? Do you need a therapist?"

Rose shook her head, her red curls falling into her brown eyes as her mouth dropped open, shocked. "No, professor, you don't understand- I-"

Slughorn wagged his finger at her face as if she was a little child. "No, miss weasley, I believe I do. Now, up you go to bed-drink lots of water, stay out of the sun, and keep your paws off any nasty substances!" He then proceeded to shoo her out with his wand.

"But professor, I-!"

"No ifs or buts, Miss Weasley- I assure you, it is nothing too bad. Get enough sleep and it will be gone by tomorrow."

With a heavy heart, Rose trudged up to the Gryffindor common room. She was sure it hadn't been hallucinations- it was like she was living through someone else's thoughts and dreams. Just as she had been pondering on that thought, she had the sudden urge to jump up and down in excitement.

Her laughter vibrated off the walls and she threw back her head like a child in complete rapture. Everything could wait-everything! Oh, this was the best day of her life-!

Ten minutes later, an even more confused Rose lay upon her bead feeling like a beaver was sitting upon her forehead. What had just happened? Maybe Slughorn was correct- she really did need to get more sleep- she had been studying way to hard the past couple of days…..With the O.W.L.S coming up and such drama with the anonymous writer called backwards, AN. She had heard of circumstances like hers, and she hoped that it would go away soon, like Slughorn had said. After all, she didn't want to stumble into the great hall whilst everyone was eating breakfast, screaming like a maniac.

Her head landed in dreamland before she had enough time to process anything. Enough was enough. This sickness was going to go away the next morning- and she was going to make sure of it. If it didn't, she'd try something.

_She was wandering down a long, long hallway….no one understood her. Her life was horrible- how could she have done that? She was walking, walking…..with no end. Scrambling frantically along, she finally dropped to the floor, expressionless. Here, no one could find her. Here, no one could bother her. Alone. By herself. Peaceful. Forever…..She stopped moving, her chest tight with emptiness. Nothing could hurt her now…_

_Darkness. Everywhere. It enveloped her in its shadowy hopes and dreams, but one thing stood out from all of them. They were cold. Cold, icy, like eating a frozen popsicle on a winter day, one with no flavor, one that was expired two years ago and couldn't be thrown out because of your own laziness. They called out to her, played with her hair, kissed her hands and feet until they too, were numb. She could feel nothing…..no pain, no sorrow, no regret…..nothing. No love, no warmth, no happiness….empty. She could stay here. Forever. _He _would never find her….._


End file.
